Isabella’s POV

“Who are you?” I asked shakily as I returned to my seat.

“Tsk tsk. That isn’t what I wanted to talk about today, Isa—Mrs. Hart,” his blunder seemed deliberate—simply another layer to his goading.

“Very well,” I tried to inject some semblance of calm into my voice, though it was almost impossible given what this man had just said.

I shouldn’t allow myself to be emotionally swayed by anything he said or was ...